Golf ball including diametrical concentrated weight plane



July 18, 1967 R c SPECIAL 3,331,605

GOLF BALL INCLUDING DiAMETRICAL CONCENTRATED WEIGHT PLANE Filed June 1,1965 INVENTOR. E0554 7' C. JPEC/AL United States Patent 3,331,605 GOLFBALL INCLUDING DIAMETRICAL CONCENTRA'IED WEIGHT PLANE Robert C. Special,5266 Almira Road, South Gate, Calif. 90280 Filed June 1, 1965, Ser. No.460,354 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-213) This invention relates to a golf ballhaving a unique interior construction that causes the ball to maintainits line of flight in the air and its path of movement on the ground, itbeing an object of the invention to stabilize the flight and line ofputt of a golf ball.

Conventional golf balls are similar in all sectional planes. Therefore,there is nothing in the interior of the ball that has any influence onthe flight or path thereof. It will hook, slice or fly straightaccording to the manner in which it is struck. Hooked and sliced ballswill fly straight until the speed of flight is sufficiently reduced toallow the hooking and slicing forces to become effective, due to theabsence of any counter force.

An object of the invention is to provide a golf ball structure thatembodies in its interior means that will exert a force or influence onthe ball to rotate and turn the same in one specific direction andwithout deviation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a golf ball that will haveincreased spin to both lengthen its flight over conventional balls andproviding improved control of the flight.

A further object of the invention is to provide a golf ball, ascharacterized, that has visual indication apprizing the golfer of thepreferred line of flight or path of the ball.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above objects are realized in a golf ball that has a novel interiorconstruction that will resist deviation in flight in that a rubber coreis provided with Washer-like metal disc disposed on a diametral plane ofthe core, thereby providing a circular plane in the core that is heavierthan other parts of the core. The outer face of the :ball is providedwith a mark or other indication of the plane of said disc, therebyapprizing the golfer of the orientation of said disc with relation tothe expected line of flight or path of roll of the ball.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description and which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, one embodiment of the presentinvention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a golf ball according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view as taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2.

The golf ball that is illustrated comprises, generally, a core 5, alayer of highly tensioned, elastic rubber bands or threads 6 wrappedaround the core and which is conventional in form and makeup, a toughcover 7 of rubber compound, also conventional, and a mark 8 on saidcover and diametrically and circumferentially encircling the same andcomprising a visual means to show the plane on which the core 5 isoriented.

3,331,605 Patented July 18, 1967 "ice It will be clear that the noveltyof the present ball resides in the construction of the core 5 and in themark 8 that, from the outside, shows the orientation of the core. Thelayer 6 and the cover 6 may be formed in any of the well-known wayscommon to golf ball construction.

The core 5 comprises a Washer-like disc 10 that has a central hole 11and is preferably made of spring steel. The outer periphery 12 of thisdisc is round, the same being accurately concentric with the hole. Forballs having the oflicial maximum weight of 1.62 ounces and minimumdiameter of 1.68 inches, the disc may be 1 1 inches in diameter, andhave a thickness of & inch, with the hole 11 having a diameter of inch.

Bonded to said disc 10 is a sphere of solid rubber 13 of limitedelasticity, as is common for the cores of conventional golf balls. Saidsphere is approximately the same diameter as the disc 10, the materialthereof extending through the hole 11 to hold the opposite halves of thesphere integrally connected. Other moldable, non-metaL lic materials,such as nylon and styrene, may be used in stead of rubber for the sphere13.

It will be clear that the diameter occupied by the disc 10 is heavierthan any other diameter taken through sphere 13, since the material ofthe disc is approximately seven times heavier than the rubber or othermaterial of the sphere.

Since it is not the mass that is significant, but the distribution ofmass (references: Huygens Movements of Inertia and Newtons Laws ofRotation), the added concentration of Weight in the disc 11 will causethe ball, when struck, to rotate in one specific direction, i.e., thedirection in the plane of rotation of the disc.

The mark 8 on the cover is placed in coplanar relationship with the disc10 and may comprise any visual indicator of the disposition of saiddisc. It may be a colored mark or one that is formed as a continuousdepression or interrupted depression diametrically of andcircumferentially encircling the cover.

It will be clear that, whether a wood or iron club or a putter is used,and the point at which the club or putter is aimed is on any part of themark 8, the heavier mass of the disc 10 will cause the ball to revolveor roll in one set direction, i.e., a direction line that is in theplane of said disc. Of course, the ball should be lined up forcompensation for the slopes of a green, when putting, as is commonpractice, but the present ball structure gives assurance of a true roll,taking such compensation into account.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstruction is, of course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desiredto restrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described this invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A golf ball comprising a core and an outer cover, circumferentialindicating means on said cover, said core being centrally disposedwithin said cover and consisting essentially of,

a spherical mass of solid elastic, non-metallic material and acontinuous metallic disc coplanar with said circumferential indicatingmeans extending diametrically and embedded in said mass of material, thematerial of said disc being substantially heavier than said non-metallicmaterial to thereby provide a diametrical plane of concentrated weight,said circumferential indicating means providing means for orienting saiddiametrical plane in a desired direction.

7 Y W 7 3 4 hajaieit r l li li i d ai lazfi mite f sx e gz 31:3 FOREIGNPATENTS said hole and connects the portions of the mass on oppo- 5 3431902 G t B itain, Site Sides the disc 7 r 16,338 1903 Great Britain.References Cited 5 18,233 1895 Great Britain.

' UNITED STA'FES PATENTS RICHARD c. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 13:3333;; 3:3z&3; 3:2222- 2,709,595 5/1955 De Vries 273183 10

1. A GOLF BALL COMPRISING A CORE AND AN OUTER COVER, CIRCUMFERENTIALINDICATING MEANS ON SAID COVER, SAID CORE BEING CENTRALLY DISPOSEDWITHIN SAID COVER AND CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF, A SPHERICAL MASS OFSOLID ELASTIC, NON-METALLIC MATERIAL AND A CONTINUOUS METALLIC DISCCOPLANAR WITH SAID CIRCUMFERENTIAL INDICATING MEANS EXTENDINGDIAMETRICALLY AND EMBEDDED IN SAID MASS OF MATERIAL, THE MATERIAL OFSAID DISC BEING SUBSTANTIALLY HEAVIER THAN SAID NON-METALLIC MATERIAL TOTHEREBY PROVIDE A DIAMETRICAL PLANE OF CONCENTRATED WEIGHT, SAIDCIRCUMFERENTIAL INDICATING MEANS PROVIDING MEANS FOR ORIENTING SAIDDIAMETRICAL PLANE IN A DESIRED DIRECTION.